HIGHEST CHASE BEYOND HOSTS IN SERIES DEFEAT

ENGLAND crashed to back-to-back defeats against South Africa as the Proteas clinched the ODI series with a game to spare at Lord’s.

- By Neil Squires

It was an improved performance - with the bat at least — after the dismal effort at Headingley on Tuesday but what would have been a record run chase in a Lord’s ODI ultimately proved just beyond the hosts.

England fell five runs short of South Africa’s 330, despite half-centuries from Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Jos Buttler.

Jofra Archer gave it a late lash, but needing six off the last ball to take the game to a Super Over, the No.9 could only manage a single.

Skipper Harry Brook said: “They got 10 or 15 too many but to get to within one blow of their score I thought was a great effort.” England continue to struggle in a format in which they were world champions as recently as 2019.